A Breath For The Drowned
by NaeRei
Summary: I had this thing running around in my head for a while now, so I am going to give it try, and by that I mean a short one-shot based in the previous Naruto crossover with Dark Nights Metal idea/challenge, so instead of a cannon naruto it will be one like what I tried to describe in that, it will be a Bryce x Naruto BUT not a romance.
1. Chapter 1

Please read the note below, thank you

I had this thing running around in my head for a while now, so I am going to give it try, and by that I mean a short one-shot based in the previous Naruto crossover with Dark Nights Metal idea/challenge, so instead of a cannon naruto it will be one like what I tried to describe in that, it will be a Bryce x Naruto BUT not a romance. That said I need to warn you all, English is not my language and I am pretty much self-taught from all the reading, movies, games and so on, English grammatical rules… I know nothing of them. So if that didn't scare you off yet, then brace yourself, your eyes will bleed….

"Speech"

" _Though_ "

 **A Breath For The Drowned**

It was another dark night, darker than it had any right to be, quieter as well, the shouts and screams having died down during the last few days, or was it weeks now? He could no longer tell, it all blurred together, day time brought no light nor warmth, night brought no rest, just the same uneasy and perpetual darkness from when this mess all started, and if he was to be honest with himself… it was not a new experience.

It reminded him far, far too much of the final years of his home, memories that he rather keep buried yet dared not forget, after all the sacrifices, all the mistakes and failures what right did he have to find any sort of peace? A newly declared war, a war that started with hope, with all nations united against a madman. It should have been a matter of time, after all what could one madman do against a world united?

Yet it crumbled, it crumbled with the last blow coming from his own hands no less. Friends and comrades used as suits of skin by their enemies, imitating them to the smallest of details and energy signature. Few could tell the difference and only he could do so at a glance, yet even with his most versatile technique he could not be everywhere, the resulting losses, confusion and chaos were staggering in a scale that no other shinobi war had seen before.

Camps and bases were on high alert, tense and stressed, mistrust ran rampant among the ranks, every order second guessed, on the battlefield comrades could no longer tell whom they could trust their back to, was it one of their own, a long-time friend or was it the enemy biding its time? Their greatest strength and advantage was gone, their unity was no more, but it was merely the start, the worst had yet to come.

First was the most dangerous leaders and criminals from their history being brought back to a mockery of life that was the result of Edo Tensei. Untiring and obedient corpses… corpses at the pinnacle of strength they once held in life, no matter how much one damaged them, it would only be a few moments before they reformed themselves, then came the more recently lost comrades. In the months that fallowed what was once a vast army was reduced small pockets of resistance, hiding in the few remaining civilian tows. The alliance might was broken.

Towns that turned on them! THEM! Who fought, bleed and suffered so they could have a tomorrow with free will, so there could be a tomorrow, yet they were so easily betrayed, but justice would soon fallow, brought by their enemy no less, ironic.

" _Shame they did not live long enough to learn from their mistakes_ " shaking his head he rose up, overlooking the dilapidated buildings of a small town, he should not entertain such bitter thoughts, they brought only grief and anger, even more so now that he was the only one that remained.

Back then even with all the naivety striped away, with loss after loss, each one more crippling than the last, all the sacrifices so he as well as another would not fall into enemy hands, because if they did fall then all would be truly lost, however he still hoped, still believed that the war could be turned around, " _how could I have been so foolish_ " another betrayal, this time from within, it cost them not only that cell and the lives of those in it but the only other jinchūriki besides himself, another mentor, friend, confidant, gone, and with that loss came the rise of an incomplete Jubbi.

The war so far had nothing on the hell that was unleashed in the next three years, it was then that he truly learned the meaning of being a shinobi, towns sacrificed if it meant they could fight another day, comrades, no, not comrades anymore but family in all but blood. Sacrificed for a chance to retreat, their own use of edo tensei, their…

" _No!, enough of this!_ " with a steading breathe he forced his waking nightmares to the back of his mind once more " _And now this! All of it because of that damn fool of a bat! All eight of them!_ "

He had an inkling ever since his first bout with the drowned one, the same battle that turned the one named Mera, wife to Arthur the one known as Aquaman, that not all was as it seemed.

\- /Days prior/ -

As powerful as he was without unleashing IT, something he dared not consider just yet, being caught unprepared with an entire ocean against you? stack the odds in your favour it does not. But at last and nearly a second too late they were saved. A bright light, the appearance of an equally bright Ankh, then the King of the seven seas was gone, whisked away.

Well one of them was saved, another was turned into…something leaving him to fend for himself against an unknown enemy and equally unknown number off creatures. Noting new but still funny how the feeling betrayal never changes, even when the one betraying you had no choice in the matter, but beyond the feeling of a cold stab he held no animosity for the deed. Sacrifice one, save another, the few for the many, it was something he learned early in his war, one that as it was dragged on it became more and more dire, devolving into sacrificing the weak for the strong, the many that could not fight for the few that could…

"Bye, I'll catch you guys latter, have a nice day, thanks for the save" he spoke to the now empty space, ha! breathing without air, speaking while underwater, the wonders of chakra giving the laws of the universe the middle finger.

Behind a plain white ceramic mask, moulded in the likes of the ANBU of his past, a golden eyebrow rose, strangely those creatures that were about to overwhelm them did not turn on him just yet, not even the newly turned Mera. Perhaps their… owner? Commander? Thought him to be easy prey.

Calmly turning to face the apparent leader of these… creatures, whatever they may be " _Underestimate me will you!_ " And she, for it was definitely a she, left the blond wondering exactly what he was dealing with.

Trident in hand. long and tangled tresses of black hair floating to the currents, one eye a dead opaque shade of solid green the other covered by a red-ish lens in a style reminiscent of steampunk pirates from story books. Lips dark and blue, skin cracked and marred, the colour of the drowned. A well-toned body and all of it decked in a mismatched attire of browns, greens and blacks, a long black tattered cloak, equally black leathery gloves accompanied by skin tight pants and boots fit for combat. A green ragged skirt, a brown and green corset pushing up an ample bosom adorned by an odd symbol of a bat. Finally, to top it all, something that could be nothing else but a batman's cowl.

He shuddered, for a moment he couldn't help but see a gruff peaking batman with a nice pair of tits, fuel for nightmares certainly, she must have noticed his reaction, for her posture while remaining that of someone in control and with no outward movement gained a hint of a predatory reediness.

He was at an extreme disadvantage here, that was made very clear when Mera was defeated so easily, the demonstrated control over water, her ability to easily and quickly move underwater made him believe that she was at very least on par with Aquaman, in addition to that all the bat signs plus all the odd happenings around the world, it gave him very bad feeling about this and while he was someone who grew up and thrived in adversity he was no longer the naïve fool that rushed head first into battle, too many died for him to learn that particular lesson. Don't let an enemy keep an advantage if you can take it away, don't let the enemy dictate the pace, do not let the enemy chose the battlefield, observe, plan, do, check, act, simple and efficient words given to him by one of his teachers from Iwa, so with that in mind he went to do what Uzumaki Naruto does best, play the fool and to the enemy own assumptions. " _I got this_ "

"T _oo serious, probably a no nonsense attitude_ " "haha! Lets, umm" he started with a nervous laugh, rising his hands to chest level in a disarming gesture "can we, err, like, pretend we never met? I swear I never met that other guy before" a tilt of her head and one step forward "ha, not that you aren't good looking or anything" another step "you are umm, very attractive, yes" a direct look to the breasts, a small and subtle gesture of groping with his hands. The narrowing of an eye, a firmer step, " _women are going to be women, but how does she move like so while underwater?_ " He had the wonders of chakra, even if his was a bit erratic, she had none whatsoever…so how?

"Please let's not be hasty here, we can, umm, meet later" preparing himself to move, disguising it as a step backwards "umm, mam you seem like a fan and, umm, I can get you an autograph from batman and…" moving back barely avoiding a slash that otherwise would have gutted him " _not the reaction I was expecting, but it works_ " "wowa lady! I swear I can get one! I promise" this time was a stab and closer to the target than he anticipated " _she is testing me, she is onto it, the charade won't last long._ "

Suddenly pushing himself forward, rapidly closing the distance with a punch aimed to the covered eye, the widening and then narrowing of the uncovered eye told him, even as she quickly moved out of the way, that she did not expect the move, at least not in its entirety, another, faster swing of the trident, ducking underneath and grabbing the swinging arm and while still holding it moving forward once more, this time with a palm trust that she attempted to dodge

His attack did not encounter the resistance he had expected, out of pure reaction to the unexpected he reflexively squeezed his hand as he looked at what he may have hit " _umm quite soft and firm_ " seeing exactly what he was holding at the same time the though occurred, quickly letting go while also looking at the bizarre woman only to find a lone green eye glaring daggers at him.

" _Fuck! Fuck, fuck, I didn't plan that, I really did not plan that! But they were quite soft for someone that looks like just drowned, tho_ " Another swing deflected with a hastily drawn kunai, she was no longer testing him. " _I need to move this battle elsewhere and fast!_ " contrary to what he led to believe, he could not breathe underwater, his chakra could only recycle the oxygen in his lungs for so long.

His chance came after a few swings and parries of increasing strength latter, as he saw her moving as if to take a large breath, which to a shinobi was a big enough tell, discarding the subterfuge and charging his legs with chakra he pushed forward.

\- / -

She saw him releasing a breath with a few bubbles floating towards the surface, shoulders staggering as if this was something he was used to and expected to happen

"Bye, I'll catch you guys latter, have a nice day, thanks for the save" dry humour, perhaps to cover the cold sting of betrayal

This Atlantean was a strange one, he was in the company of royalty even if the genders of said royalty were reversed here, he was too different to be one of them yet here he was

A plain white porcelain mask covered his features with only the intense yet could blue eyes showing trough, a black form fitting sleeveless shirt with a hood attached to his shoulders and covering his head, nine red comas surrounding the neck, a simple white utility belt with a back pouch. One arm entirely warped in bandages, the other a black glove that went to mid bicep with a white, reflection-less armguard. Black and loose cargo pants with white bandages warping around his shins and holding a holster of some kind to his tight, certainly a strange one for a Atlantean.

She saw his shuddering, fear? Disgust at her actions or her appearance? It did not matter, this fool of an Atlantean that the others so easily discarded and abandoned, something that lit a tiny little sparkle of anger, blabbing nonsense nervously, cowardly trying to run, resorting to pleasantries and slight innuendos, but she was no fool, she experienced far too much not to see it, and knew exactly what he was trying to do, the question was, what and how much of it was true and what was misdirection? Thus she decided to play along, a tilt of the head, a step forward, another step. " _A fan of batman? Fool, so you are no mere Atlantean, but it begs to question why so easily left behind? Unimportant? Capable? Or something else altogether?_ "

A testing shot, faster than first intended, so when she saw him clumsily dodge and move backward, she almost grinned, " _Convincing, had I not seen you prepare for it_ " a stab this time, faster still " _your reactions are too timely to be mere lucky dodges_ " then it changed, she saw him prepare and push towards her with a punch aimed to her covered eye " _Faster than I expected but not fast enough, what else do you hid I wonder_ "

A yet faster swing of the trident accompanied by the dodge she expected, what she did not expect was for him to rise and grab the swinging arm fallowed by a palm trust, attempting to dodge, too late did she realise it held no significant power behind it, barely even feeling the hit, she did however feel the squeeze on her breast afterwards, quickly looking at her opponent she saw the surprise in those blue eyes as he quickly moved back " _The gall of this fool!_ "

There was no more testing the waters, yet even with the increased speed and strength of her attacks, his hastily deflections she did not draw blood, that should have been her warning. She saw him tense to attack as she drew breath for one of her dead water techniques, it would be of no avail, he was too far to reach her in time, he would fall before her like all of his kin in her crumbling world did.

Imagine her shock when he simply disappeared, one moment he was tensing the other… her technique was cancelled and feeling as if she had been hit by a freight train, with him standing there, one hand on her shoulder the other buried in her stomach. It was no teleportation skill, it was pure movement, the buffing currents told her that, yet she saw no transition from one place to the other, just those cold blue and dead eyes, one moment far away, the other staring her down, and for a fraction of a moment she saw herself in those eyes back on her drowning world.

But it was not over, even has her brain reeled and prepared for a counter attack she was assaulted by vertigo accompanied by a blinding flash " _some sort of flashbang technique or device_ " her brain tried to reason, but temporary blindness would not be the end her, not the drowner of her world, she had experience in addition to well-trained censes to rely on, and as she prepared for an inevitable attack she felt… wind on her cold skin " _wind under the surface of the ocean?"_

Her returning vision left her perplexed, they were no longer at the bottom of the ocean of Amnesty Bay coast but in the nearby hills, the ruse of the initial confrontation, the speed and power behind the last attack and this… skill of near instant teleportation, he was not the fool he pretended to be. She saw the ruse yet still underestimated him, nearly paying the ultimate price for it, he could have struck again while she reoriented herself yet he did not, she wondered why, even as she saw the change in her opponent.

Eyes visibly darkening, sharpening behind that white porcelain mask of his, the nervousness tenseness from before disappearing from his movements, replaced by a loose fighting stance, small dagger like blade held in reverse, ready to be used as a melee or ranged weapon, lowered centre of gravity and muscles relaxing, feet positioned in a fashion that would allow movement in any direction, no tell-tales to what his next move could be in his body-language… Even his presence changed into something… colder, heavier, this was not the clumsy young man from a moment before, this was an experienced fighter and one that did not fight fair, she needed to be cautious with this one. Very cautious.

\- / -

He could have attacked, he knew he should have attacked while this strange woman regained her bearings, short as that moment was, but something he saw as he activated his father technique held his hand back. That dead green eye, he saw many like it back in his crumbling world during the last days, even in this world of heroes he has seen it staring back each morning but in a shade of blue instead of green. But after her actions in Amnesty Bay and what she did to Mera he could not, would not let some brief misguided feeling of kinship stop him from doing what must be done, he had abandoned such naivety a long time ago and if this woman was somehow connected to what was happening all around the world as he assumed... No more time for charades.

He moved to attack, a simple straight forward attack, one she met midway with a swing of the trident, intent in stopping him from getting closer, only for him slip under and attempt to take her legs from underneath her, hoping back avoiding the leg sweep, trying to capitalize on the momentarily vulnerability of the move only to find him on his hands and a blue sandaled foot streaking towards her face.

Hastily blocking the kick and rolling with the hit to gain space, but there was no time, he was already on the move again, same straight forward move from before. She would not fall for the same move twice, striking with a quick short stab, expecting and prepared for similar manoeuvre only for him to display a blurring footwork that made him spin and move to her side, coming out of the spin with the dagger aiming to the back of her head.

This one did not fight with the intent to merely defeat, no he fought with the intent to kill. If it was underwater she would have the advantage but in land, he outpaced her, even with her enhanced strength and speed, she almost smiled " _But i am no weak damsel either, I have faced tougher opponents!_ "

Grappling and pulling the incoming arm, gloved fist aiming to his masked visage with quite a bit of power behind it. She did not miss, she did smile with this one hit, but it was short lived as with an imprecise show of contortionism he was able free himself from her hold on him while lightly kicking her in the face, if for nothing else than to create momentum for the next move, still holding onto the extended arm and fallowing the movement of his previous attack he let loose a far stronger kick that sent his adversary staggering back.

Utilizing her own staggering as cover she unleashed one of her wider spread dead water techniques. As the dark torrent moved to its intended target she expected a dodge, as he had demonstrated the speed to do so, something that she prepared accordingly to intercept. What she did not expect was for him to dart towards it while make a strange hand sign and grip his arm as if in pain, to hear the sound of a thousand birds while lightning formed in his hand, aimed towards her technique.

" _Raiton: Chidori_ " For a brief moment she could feel the electricity in the air before it hit her dead water and when it did, the result was near instantaneous, an explosion of heated steam fallowed by a lightning quick shock that sent her tumbling in the dirt with smoke rising for burnt spots on her attire.

Trident lost in the midst of tumbling she rose to her feet, for she knew he would not be far behind, she was not disappointed. As the battle began anew, blows traded, near misses and retaliations, all the while never stopping, always moving, a fist to the face and first blood on her lips, arms grabbed and pulled, a headbutt to his masked face, a crack. A near miss from those black sharp nails resulting in three deep gashes on his shoulder and a rivulet of blood, a retaliatory swing of a dagger and a hastily dodge making a fine cut on her corset.

But she was not one without her own tricks and deceptions, she did not win a war by fighting fair and square, nor did she forget their initial bout under the waters nor his misleading act or the fact that his reaction to his groping was far too genuine to be a premeditated reaction. She was not above using her feminine wiles for a distraction, for now she could still afford to wait either for an opening or for an opportunity.

"What an oddity you are" it was a starling sound her voice, enough to make him jump back like a startled cat, she chuckled at his reaction.

And it was indeed a strange voice, like none he ever heard before, noting like the strong, firm voice of Tsunade, the shy and soft tone of Hinata, the teasing and goading of Anko nor the seductive tenor of Mei. It was firm and clear yet held an almost wet and soft reverberating quality to it, a strange voice certainly but quite far from the harsh tone he had expected.

Had he been his old self he would have claimed her to be the weird one, he would have shouted about how dastardly evil her actions were, demanding that she undid what she did to Mera, probably even going as far as asking for a reason for her deeds or try convince her that there was another path, one of peace, but that Naruto had died during the war, so he simply tilted his head to de side in askance of what she meant. She obliged.

"You do not fight as one of these…heroes of this world, you do not aim to incapacitate, you aim to break, to kill, yet you still hesitate, you still holdback" as they circled each other, trident stuck on the ground like a flag marking a middle ground she continued "You do not fight like one that has never spilled blood, you fight as one used to life and death battles, as one who has delivered it, yet you hesitate, why?" it was a genuine question, as their battle progressed she noticed his slight slowing of his strikes when the blows were about to connect, the slight changes in path of his strikes, the tensing of muscles the moment he was about to hit, the way he fought did not fit the hesitance she saw, it made no sense to her.

"I am no hero" it was still a voice of a young adult, but gone was the doubt and nervousness from before, now a steadfast and with a strong presence, a man that did not need to rise his voice to be heard. "Hesitance you say? It is not the spilling of blood that I fear, it's the monster that is willing to spill" they did not stop circling each other, almost as if waiting for a signal to start anew.

"So you do fear something." It was not a question.

"You should too"

" _Boasting?_ " she thought, a brief feeling of… death, for she could not describe it in any other way, dissuaded her of that notion, " _so it is something dangerous. You will make a fine addition to my army, but to get there…_ " and as a breeze picked up stray leaves her hooded opponent took it as an indication that the pause was over. "Very well then, it's time we settle this!"

"Indeed"

For the third time the battle began anew, the strikes we coming faster, more precise, stronger, he was set in ending this soon she noted, " _its time I set my own web_ " preparing to use one of the abilities that aided her the most in her war at the earliest opportunity that presented itself. " _it's time to add another general to my army_ " And so she waited, like a spider in her web waiting for a fly to fall in it. And it needed to fall soon, even with her genetic enhancement she was feeling the tiredness encroaching on her, a fearsome fighter she was but she could not sustain a fight at this rhythm for much longer.

And during one of their parries that opportunity presented itself with the sound of ripping cloth, strained by the damage it suffered from all the fighting it finally gave and broke. While the sound would not and did not distract him the small movement in midst of battle did, eyes instinctively tracking it he came to a starling visage, a perfect blue-ish pale breast, free of its confines, it was a very brief distraction, one not born of deliberate actions but it was a distraction none the less, one she was waiting for. Grabbing the edges of his hood and pulling him towards her as if to kiss, but no it was no kiss, it was something far more sinister, he tried to react, placing a foot on her chest and pushing, but it was already too late, even as he pushed he got a face full of black water, entering taught the eye holes of the mask and behind it, it stung his eyes and skin, he could feel, taste the foul nature of it, it was what changed Mera, she was trying to turn him into one of her creatures.

Stumbling back, he could already feel it spreading and it surprised him how fast it was, his body reacting instinctively to the foreign intrusion, chakra moving to intercept and combat, yet this substance strangeness or potency was pushing it back, " _Thankfully it's not working as fast as it did with Arthur's wife, I have some time left"_ he thought, even as his vison spun and refocused he saw her smile, it was not a pleasant one nor was it a downright wicked one either, it was the smile of someone who's wait and investment paid off, it was a smile of triumph.

" _Good job fool, you survived a world ending war and a mad goddess to die thanks to a drowned woman wiles_ " he chastised himself, but something from the younger self remained still and it was his stubbornness. Uzumaki Naruto simply does not just roll over and die, no, if he is going to bite the proverbial dust, it's going to be fighting. Thus with reckless abandon he charged, faster and wilder, nailing the cowled villain in the face with a cocked back punch as he passed sending her to the ground, turning on a dime and sending a good old fashioned kick to his opponent abdomen, not allowing them to fully fall, sending her rattling and tumbling away, that certainly wiped that smile of her face.

She was both impressed and rattled, punch notwithstanding, by this turn of events, others had fought the merge but they all changed, some faster, some slower but in the end they all changed, yet this young man was fighting it both figuratively and literally like none before him, due to her own connection and control over the changed she could feel it fighting its way within his body, inch by inch. It started fast as always, spreading through the body, but unlike the others, the more it spread the slower it became but it did not stop. " _What exactly are you, no Atlantean was able to fight it back as much as you, not even those of royal blood, who are you_ " she wondered.

As the dust settled she saw him stumbling to orientate himself, her attempt on merging him with her dead waters taking its toll on him, right arm to the side, fingers spread and palm facing up with a shimmering and stuttering blue ball of energy forming, an entrancing thing, that shiny blue orb of light, but she soon regained her whit, if the previous lightning covered hand was any indication she could not let herself be hit by that fascinating yet deadly looking orb.

They rushed forward, each intent in not being the defeated one, but even as they closed in on each other she saw him stumble and blue orb fading, she almost felt sad for seeing it dissipate, but she definitely would not waste the opportunity, grabbing the trident that was discarded during the battle as she neared her target she swung with all of he might, committed to remove the head of this threat once and for all.

Charging forward with rasengan in hand he could feel his body wobble momentarily with the last vestiges of his controllable chakra fade away taking the Rasengan alongside it, as whatever it was that this woman used on him was taking everything his body had to fight it, he saw the trident screaming towards his head but all he could do was stumble back, turning an attack that would have lopped his head off into one that could split it open instead.

He felt the strength of the blow, the shattering of his mask, blades cutting through flesh but strangely he felt no excruciating pain, he tried to steady himself, he truly did, but this water of hers was robing him of all of his strength, even his gargantuan chakra reserves, erratic as they were since his arrival to this world were of little help against this unknown threat. "I'm sorry" and with a smile and his strength failing he uttered a final plea of forgiveness for those of his lost world Uzumaki Naruto fell, the battle was over.

\- End CH1 -

AN:

Again sorry for the bad English and I am quite impressed you lasted this long reading it, about what I tried to write, I didn't plan any of it, it was supposed to be short yet it only has half of what I wanted it to have, will I write the rest? I can't really promise anything about that, either way thanks

As I mentioned in the first AN, my English is self-taught, MS-word and the occasional google can only do so much, so any correction on you guys part is appreciated, again thanks and have a nice day

PS: Dark Nights Metal is awesome


	2. Update message

ust leaving a few words on why there hasn't been any updates here, for starters Dark night metal is new or relatively new…and kind of slow going for someone who is used to mangas… anyway… when we think that the good guys are starting to turn the tables on the Dark Batmans… it turns out that nope they are just dancing to the bad guys tune. It's awesome.

It has quite a few twists and turns, some things I misunderstood and thought it was one thing but it was another, also as you guys noticed with that one chapter I planned to have one Dark Night turn traitor… but **(Spoiler)(Spoiler=)** ...but it already had one and its dead now, and I had plans for that guy -_- **(=Spoiler)(Spoiler)** So… I am going to let it end, I mean the Dark Night Metal then see where it goes from there

PS: Monkey batman?!  
Thanks people and till then, take care and have fun


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